nesariafandomcom-20200213-history
Dungorian Religion
Dungorian Religion The Dungorian Religion (sometimes called Dungorianism or Dungorism, and referred to as the One True Faith by the Dungors) is the faith of the Dungors. It is split into two distinct branches - the Old Faith and the New Faith. Its scripture is collected in various documents collectively known as "Lloth" ("Truth"). The true age of the Lloth is unknown, but it is at least as old as Dungoria, which began construction in about 2100BC. The Old Faith and the New Faith are split on the issue of the exact nature of the divine. The Old Faith maintains that there are two deities, who individually are weak but united are all-powerful; the Protector and the Judge. As the names suggest, the Protector watches over mortals in the material realm, and the Judge judges the souls of the deceased and, if they are worthy, takes them up to Paradise. The New Faith, however, states that the Protector and the Judge are two parts (or persons) of one single God, who simply represents his power in different ways depending upon the situation; acting as the Protector in the material realm and the Judge elsewhere. The New Faith has a modified set of prayers and rituals to reflect the worship of one single God rather than two. The New Faith was established in the 16th century, when the arrival of the monotheistic Christianity pushed a long-running (but until then, minor) theological debate over the edge into an outright schism. After a long and bitter period of struggle, the New Faith became dominant, and now over 70% of adherents follow the New Faith. Both the Old Faith and the New Faith agree that the souls of those deemed not worthy to enter Paradise must face the Devourer, who festers in a realm called Oblivion. If they can overcome the Devourer with their strength of body and will and their faith, they will be absolved of their sins and have the right to enter Paradise. If they fail, their soul is consumed and destroyed by the Devourer. Those who follow different religions will always instantly be cast to the Devourer. They still have a chance to prove their worth, but they have no chance of getting into Paradise without doing battle. The Devourer is portrayed as brutal and merciless, but not necessarily evil, as it does serve the useful and ultimately good purpose of punishing the sinful and giving those who were pious but simply made mistakes a second chance to earn their place in Paradise. The Devourer cannot truly be evil, as it (not he, "it") is only following its nature and it does not have real knowledge of what is good. Unlike in the Abrahamic religions, forgiveness is not truly found in God (or the Gods), rather absolution is found in battle against the Devourer. The Devourer's Invasion and the Yokera During the "early days of the world", a prophet known as the Yokera was visited by the Protector. Yokera loosely translates as "destined ruler" or "destined king", although a less literal translation may be "Emperor". The Protector explained to him what is good and just, explained how the afterlife functioned and the consequences for being evil in life. He told the Yokera to go and spread the good word, and he did so, bringing the shattered tribes of the Dungors into one union and preaching the One True Faith to them. The Devourer, fearing that this would mean its supply of deceased souls would be ended, revolted against the Gods (or God) and invaded the material realm, causing incalculable devastation with its army of demons. The skies turned blood-red, the sun blackened, and the Dungors under the Yokera were the only ones standing between the Devourer and the total annihilation of the world. After years of brutal warfare, the Yokera eventually met the Devourer in battle. With one single strike blessed by the Protector, he cut the Devourer down and exiled it back to Oblivion. The Yokera was mortally wounded in the battle, but he had done his duty, and he died happy. With the final defeat of the Devourer, the sun once more shone golden and the skies turned bluer than ever before, and the souls of the righteous would no longer fall prey to the Devourer. It is unknown whether this story is historical fact or religious myth, and it is likely that in some ways it is both. No other records of a period where "the Devourer" invaded the material world and where the sky turned red and the sun turned black exist, although such an event could have just been localised to wherever the Dungors were living at the time, and it is entirely possible with the rampant chaotic magic of the Age of Titans. The Dungors maintain that whenever the world is in a time of crisis, a new Yokera will come to save it. Many Dungors believe that Emperor Athdus III, who led the coalition against the Xaenis, was the second Yokera, although this is not official doctrine.